Student Affairs : Ombudsman : Standards for Academic Unfairness

Standards for Academic Unfairness

The Student Fairness Committee will hear grade dispute petitions when they are deemed to be appropriate and include evidence related to the following conditions:

• When there is evaluation of students that differs from announced requirements.
• When there are belated impositions of requirements.
• When grades are based on criteria other than academic performance in the course.
• When grading criteria do not provide a clear and consistent method of evaluating students’ work or performance.
• When students’ requests for information during the semester regarding their academic progress in the course are not responded to in a reasonable time (e.g., two weeks after the request is made).
• When students’ requests for an explanation of how the posted course grades for a term were determined are not responded to in a reasonable time (e.g., the later of two weeks after the request is made or one week before the add deadline for the fall or spring semester following the term in question).
• When students are penalized for expressing opinions.
• When students are given to understand that they are removed from a course without due process of a hearing.